There is something moving in the depths of the castle. It walks on its four legs like a mysterious beast.
With heavy breathing and heavy footsteps on the ground, the beast looked with its glowing white eyes at the entire surrounding forest.
"..."
Letting out a cold sigh, the beast looked at a specific place (the castle) It saw everything that moved in the place and patiently waited for whoever discovered the mystery to approach first.
***
Inside the castle, Sakura found herself looking out the window. She decided to do some thinking about the dreams she's been having lately. There's a brown-haired boy whose face is blurry within her memories, which somehow worries her.
She instinctively looked at the place where Toru's presence was strongest and frowned sternly.
No one could see her expression at that moment due to Waver now playing on his Game Boy and Gray polishing the cage of her Mystic Code, Add. However, to say that no one was looking at her would be a lie, as Toru watched her silently, thinking that she must already act on this castle's fake mystery.
Suddenly, Toru's voice echoed inside this girl's mind.
For her, hearing Toru's voice in her mind was like receiving a caress in her brain. Somehow that feeling made her feel calmer.
[I have something to do right now and I need your help, Master. When you are close to me, that's when I am strongest. That's one of the things I've been able to realize. Now, where do I want to go with all this? Well, very strange things are happening in this castle that not only endanger you but also the people you came with. This goes beyond a simple suggestion]
Sakura couldn't answer Toru because her father and Gray are here.
Toru took that into account, so he made a suggestion.
[Let's go to the castle's kitchen. The place is connected to different points in the castle that we can use to move along the paths more effectively. Besides, we'll be able to talk better without your father finding out]
Sakura just nodded silently. She walked quietly towards the door and heard Gray's voice.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going to get something to eat in the kitchen."
"Uh... I understand..."
Waver watched this scene, but said nothing. He already knew that this was part of Toru's plan. This man did not consider himself to be the most brilliant mind in the Clock Tower, but he was confident in Toru's strength and skill. Besides, should a great threat appear, Waver was sure that Toru would be able to disintegrate this entire castle. Although for that kind of threat there is also Gray, who is not weak at all.
Therefore, Sakura left in the direction of the kitchen.
"Are you sure about what you're saying?"
And she immediately questioned Toru.
He, keeping himself hidden, had no choice but to answer.
"This castle is not what it seems. The same goes for this Geyroun Ashbourne. This is supposed to be a place where damaged Magic Crests can be repaired, but it's not that. It isn't that at all. I'll spare you the details. I'll tell you all about it later. For now let's go to the kitchen. We have to do something near there."
"But if you don't tell me what's going on, I won't be able to help you."
[Let's move on. I'll tell you about it when we get there.]
Sakura couldn't say anything else. Actually Toru kept quiet after that, not saying another word.
***
By the time they reached the kitchen, Toru materialized and approached the door leading to one of the castle's gardens.
He opened the door and looked at the path that stretched outward. He paused there to say something else
"We started with this. Now, as for earlier, I'll be brief."
"I wasn't expecting that, but at least you're finally going to tell me something. We're supposed to be in danger now. If anything, that would be a problem for everyone."
"To be more specific, everyone who was invited to this castle is going to be killed."
"What...?"
Toru looked at one of the kitchen windows.
"Let me explain."
"Yes, please. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to understand you."
Toru nodded.
"It all starts with the letters with the names of the angels. Your father has the name Haniel. If we look at it as a simple magical name there would be no problem, but that changes when we involve the Kabbalah. Haniel is the archangel of the Sephirah Netsach, which in a way represents thought. It may sound like an explanation out of the blue, but your father will be killed using something related to thought, such as the brain, which in the end represents this same Sephirah. However, I have my reasons to believe that it will happen this way. I already have the first clue. I discovered it after seeing the map of the castle your father made. Angels not only represent divinity, they can also be related to constellations and planets. The Kabbalah is involved in this, so I can transform the name of each angel into degrees that can be followed from the room we are staying in. The reason we are going through the kitchen, which is further away from the point I discovered, is because the other guests might see us. They are Magus too, they should be watching us right now. Also, they may have already discovered my presence or, at the very least, are suspecting that you have a 'familiar' with you. That will awaken the sense to find out what you are hiding."
"..."
...
...
...
Sakura was speechless. Everything Toru said was said so quickly and without a mistake. In fact, she understood very well what this boy was referring to. This castle was built by a crazy fan of those winged beings. It was no wonder that there were shady things hidden in the confines of this castle.
Still...
"When you wind it up you can't stop it anymore, huh..."
"What did you say?"
Toru asked. Sakura shook her head.
"Nothing. So, we still have time to figure out what to do, right? If my father is in danger, I really can't let something bad happen to him. In that case, I understand what you meant by needing my help. But what's this about you being stronger by my side...?"
Toru understood the question. Maybe his Master didn't research enough how Servants work.
"A Servant, the closer it is to its Master, the stronger it will be and the more stamina it will have. Although it's not much of a difference in power, really. But it's better than nothing. It's a small advantage that can be taken advantage of."
"Uh, I see..."
Sakura was a little disappointed. She thought Toru was acting like someone romantic, but it seems this guy doesn't even see her as a woman. Maybe he's more focused on being a Servant than a common man. Although calling someone like Toru common might come across as insulting.
"In any case, let's move forward. We have to take advantage of the head start we have."
Thus they both walked out into the castle garden. The only thing that could hinder everything is the deep darkness surrounding the entire castle, as the night right now is not in anyone's favor, so right now no one can see anything.
They walked blindly through the darkness, their footsteps echoing on the stone path beneath their feet.
The night creatures chanted their enigmatic song, and in the distance, fireflies flickered their natural lights.
"I think we should get a flashlight before we go on."
They really needed it. Carrying such a device was better than walking blindly, but Toru denied.
"No need."
Suddenly his eyes glowed with the colors of the dark rainbow. The golden lines of death showed themselves all over existence, making it easier for him to move forward without stumbling. Besides, his heightened senses right now were on high alert. The only thing left for him to do was....
"Kya!"
Sakura felt two hands touching her. When she realized, Toru was carrying her in his arms. She realized, looking up, that his eyes could be seen a little in the darkness of the night.
He is carrying her...
Just like in the past...
But this was very different from when she was little. In the past, it was very warm and comforting for her to be carried by Toru like this, but this time it felt different.
Toru's body was full of well worked muscles. His shoulders were broader than hers and his hands were very strong and rough. His body heat somehow became perfect for her, as the boy's body was warm. Also, she could feel his breath close to her neck, which made her feel a strange shiver run through her body.
Sakura had no way of knowing, but her face had turned crimson red from the blood heating up inside her body.
She unconsciously put her arms around Toru's neck and hugged him gently. She buried her face in the boy's chest and took a deep breath.
'What is this I feel...?'
She closed her eyes and remembered. She remembered the girl walking through the city next to the expressionless-faced butler.
She smiled at the thought.
Even if she felt different now, she looked into those mysterious eyes and accepted that everything was changing. She has grown up and is no longer that naive little girl.
However...
'How long is all this going to last?'
It was the first time she had asked herself that question since she summoned Toru.
Everything was going too well to be true. And somehow she thought that all of this might turn out to be a distant dream, a simple and cruel illusion that her mind is creating for her.
Then she hugged Toru tightly. She didn't want to let him leave her side again, but it was also like that dream she had that night.
'If I lose you from my sight...will I ever see you again?'
She felt this boy leap into the air as they approached the lush forest located to the east of the castle. The wind was passing very strongly through her body, as if she was being gently beaten by an invisible force. The air itself was very cold and lonely, but Toru's warm body made her not feel that way.
She looked down at the ground unable to erase her previous thought.
She really feared that it would happen. That everything that happened ten years ago would happen again.
Suddenly Toru's monotonously bored voice interrupted this girl's thoughts.
"We're going to land. Hold on tight."
Sakura let out a sigh and hugged Toru tightly.
After that, the cold air that passed through her body hit her hard and she felt her body together with Toru's suddenly stop on a hard surface.
"It seems that we are the first. The key to this mystery should be shown here."
"The mystery... What thing should we look for?"
"Something that is capable of killing. For the time being... you can let go of me now."
"Uh? I... ah... Yes. Okay..."
She timidly all over the ground with the toe of her boots and broke away from Toru.
She for a moment wanted to touch Toru's shoulder, but refrained from doing so and ducked her gaze.
"This is the place. There should be something we can do, but it's really the only part of the mystery whose pieces I can't put together. The rest is already solved. um?"
Something distracted Toru. From his cloak he pulled out the letter with Waver's invitation.
"That letter..."
Sakura whispered.
Looking at the girl's reaction to the letter, Toru thought that somehow everything would happen this way so he didn't really hide anything from his Master.
"It was given to me by your father..."
"What...?"
Unable to ask why she had that letter to Toru, Sakura looked at the angel's name on the letter changed to different golden letters.
The letters on the letter read:
[An angel who turned into a beast. Staring at the sky of hell, he devoured the brightest light in the dark abyss].
Toru frowned. A second after reading the letter, the footsteps of something began to sound approaching.
Moving through the undergrowth, bushes and trees, tearing branches and leaves from plants, echoing its four paws on the ground, mysterious white eyes flashed in the darkness stretching in front of him.
"Looks like this is what will kill everyone who was invited to this castle."
Toru mentioned, which caused Sakura to stare intently ahead, where the darkness of the night blended with the forest trees as a perfect and disturbing amalgam of black and green colors that distorted the two white eyes that watched from the shadows.
A hoarse voice, as if his oral cords were being ripped out of his mouth, echoed with power sending shivers down her spine.
"I ask you the angel's name."
In the darkness, the beast opened its eyes, revealing four glowing white eyes glued to its mysterious face hidden by the shadows of the forest.
This put Toru on alert.
"Master-... no. Sakura-sama, get ready."
Toru took a step forward. At the same time, a sudden cloud of smoke exploded behind his back and an exact copy of him appeared. That copy of Toru stood in front of her, like a meat shield in case something bad should happen.
Toru answered the beast's question.
"Haniel..."
The beast paused for a long moment.
Then.
"I ask you the name of the angel. If you can't answer..."
Boom! In less than a second, the beast with a completely black body, as if it was a shadow separating itself from reality, appeared in front of Toru biting his arm.
Toru did not retreat an inch. Instead, he put his arm out for the beast to bite.
Then the beast, still biting Toru, said to him:
"You will be torn to pieces."
He sighed wearily, tired of this charade of mystery. Tired of this all-encompassing darkness. He sighed tired of what is going to happen next.
The beast had the appearance of a large, six-foot tall dog. Its body resembled a shadow coming to life in the darkness, with four white eyes that seemed to look into your soul.
Finally looking at the appearance of this beast, Toru whispered....
"And you will be torn apart by my hands..."
Sakura could only watch this silently as she was protected by Toru's clone.
This scene to her was so wildly beautiful, so much so that she became enraptured in Toru's cold stare at the beast biting his right arm.
There was no blood.
He did not recoil.
So she could realize something...
'Toru... Assassin...'
The Assassin that Toru is has awakened tonight....
To be continued...